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Eekers DBP, Zegers CML, Ahmed KA, Amelio D, Gupta T, Harrabi SB, Kazda T, Scartoni D, Seidel C, Shih HA, Minniti G. Controversies in neuro-oncology: Focal proton versus photon radiation therapy for adult brain tumors. Neurooncol Pract 2024; 11:369-382. [PMID: 39006517 PMCID: PMC11241386 DOI: 10.1093/nop/npae040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Radiation therapy (RT) plays a fundamental role in the treatment of malignant and benign brain tumors. Current state-of-the-art photon- and proton-based RT combines more conformal dose distribution of target volumes and accurate dose delivery while limiting the adverse radiation effects. PubMed was systematically searched from from 2000 to October 2023 to identify studies reporting outcomes related to treatment of central nervous system (CNS)/skull base tumors with PT in adults. Several studies have demonstrated that proton therapy (PT) provides a reduced dose to healthy brain parenchyma compared with photon-based (xRT) radiation techniques. However, whether dosimetric advantages translate into superior clinical outcomes for different adult brain tumors remains an open question. This review aims at critically reviewing the recent studies on PT in adult patients with brain tumors, including glioma, meningiomas, and chordomas, to explore its potential benefits compared with xRT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle B P Eekers
- Department of Radiation Oncology (Maastro), Maastricht University Medical Center, GROW-School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Catharina M L Zegers
- Department of Radiation Oncology (Maastro), Maastricht University Medical Center, GROW-School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Kamran A Ahmed
- Departments of Oncologic Sciences, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Dante Amelio
- Trento Proton Therapy Center, Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari (APSS), Trento, Italy
| | - Tejpal Gupta
- Department of Radiation Oncology, ACTREC/TMH, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai, India
| | - Semi Ben Harrabi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center (HIT), University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tomas Kazda
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University and Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Daniele Scartoni
- Trento Proton Therapy Center, Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari (APSS), Trento, Italy
| | - Clemens Seidel
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Central Germany, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Helen A Shih
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Giuseppe Minniti
- Department of Radiological Sciences, Oncology and Anatomical Pathology, Sapienza University of Rome, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli IS, Italy
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Santacroce A, Trandafirescu MF, Levivier M, Peters D, Fürweger C, Toma-Dasu I, George M, Daniel RT, Maire R, Nakamura M, Faouzi M, Schiappacasse L, Dasu A, Tuleasca C. Proton beam radiation therapy for vestibular schwannomas-tumor control and hearing preservation rates: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosurg Rev 2023; 46:163. [PMID: 37402894 PMCID: PMC10319703 DOI: 10.1007/s10143-023-02060-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Proton beam therapy is considered, by some authors, as having the advantage of delivering dose distributions more conformal to target compared with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Here, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of proton beam for VSs, evaluating tumor control and cranial nerve preservation rates, particularly with regard to facial and hearing preservation. METHODS We reviewed, using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) articles published between 1968 and September 30, 2022. We retained 8 studies reporting 587 patients. RESULTS Overall rate of tumor control (both stability and decrease in volume) was 95.4% (range 93.5-97.2%, p heterogeneity= 0.77, p<0.001). Overall rate of tumor progression was 4.6% (range 2.8-6.5%, p heterogeneity < 0.77, p<0.001). Overall rate of trigeminal nerve preservation (absence of numbness) was 95.6% (range 93.5-97.7%, I2 = 11.44%, p heterogeneity= 0.34, p<0.001). Overall rate of facial nerve preservation was 93.7% (range 89.6-97.7%, I2 = 76.27%, p heterogeneity<0.001, p<0.001). Overall rate of hearing preservation was 40.6% (range 29.4-51.8%, I2 = 43.36%, p heterogeneity= 0.1, p<0.001). CONCLUSION Proton beam therapy for VSs achieves high tumor control rates, as high as 95.4%. Facial rate preservation overall rates are 93%, which is lower compared to the most SRS series. Compared with most currently reported SRS techniques, proton beam radiation therapy for VSs does not offer an advantage for facial and hearing preservation compared to most of the currently reported SRS series.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Santacroce
- European Radiosurgery Centre Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
- Department of Neurosurgery, St. Barbara-Klinik Hamm-Heessen, Hamm, 59073, Germany
| | | | - Marc Levivier
- Neurosurgery Service and Gamma Knife Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 44-46, BH-08, CH-1011, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biology and Medicine (FBM), University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - David Peters
- Neurosurgery Service and Gamma Knife Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 44-46, BH-08, CH-1011, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biology and Medicine (FBM), University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Iuliana Toma-Dasu
- Oncology Pathology Department, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Medical Radiation Physics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mercy George
- ENT Department, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Roy Thomas Daniel
- Neurosurgery Service and Gamma Knife Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 44-46, BH-08, CH-1011, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biology and Medicine (FBM), University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Raphael Maire
- ENT Department, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Makoto Nakamura
- Department of Neurosurgery, Academic Hospital Köln-Merheim, Köln, 51058, Germany
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, 58455, Germany
| | - Mohamed Faouzi
- Division of Biostatistics, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Luis Schiappacasse
- Radiation Oncology Department, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexandru Dasu
- The Skandion Clinic and Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Medical Radiation Sciences, Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Constantin Tuleasca
- Neurosurgery Service and Gamma Knife Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 44-46, BH-08, CH-1011, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Faculty of Biology and Medicine (FBM), University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL, LTS-5), Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Iannalfi A, Riva G, Ciccone L, Orlandi E. The role of particle radiotherapy in the treatment of skull base tumors. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1161752. [PMID: 37350949 PMCID: PMC10283010 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1161752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The skull base is an anatomically and functionally critical area surrounded by vital structures such as the brainstem, the spinal cord, blood vessels, and cranial nerves. Due to this complexity, management of skull base tumors requires a multidisciplinary approach involving a team of specialists such as neurosurgeons, otorhinolaryngologists, radiation oncologists, endocrinologists, and medical oncologists. In the case of pediatric patients, cancer management should be performed by a team of pediatric-trained specialists. Radiation therapy may be used alone or in combination with surgery to treat skull base tumors. There are two main types of radiation therapy: photon therapy and particle therapy. Particle radiotherapy uses charged particles (protons or carbon ions) that, due to their peculiar physical properties, permit precise targeting of the tumor with minimal healthy tissue exposure. These characteristics allow for minimizing the potential long-term effects of radiation exposure in terms of neurocognitive impairments, preserving quality of life, and reducing the risk of radio-induced cancer. For these reasons, in children, adolescents, and young adults, proton therapy should be an elective option when available. In radioresistant tumors such as chordomas and sarcomas and previously irradiated recurrent tumors, particle therapy permits the delivery of high biologically effective doses with low, or however acceptable, toxicity. Carbon ion therapy has peculiar and favorable radiobiological characteristics to overcome radioresistance features. In low-grade tumors, proton therapy should be considered in challenging cases due to tumor volume and involvement of critical neural structures. However, particle radiotherapy is still relatively new, and more research is needed to fully understand its effects. Additionally, the availability of particle therapy is limited as it requires specialized equipment and expertise. The purpose of this manuscript is to review the available literature regarding the role of particle radiotherapy in the treatment of skull base tumors.
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Holtzman AL, Dagan R, Mendenhall WM. Proton Radiotherapy for Skull-Base Malignancies. Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am 2023:S1042-3699(23)00005-5. [PMID: 37005171 DOI: 10.1016/j.coms.2023.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Proton therapy (PT) is a form of highly conformal external-beam radiotherapy used to mitigate acute and late effects following radiotherapy. Indications for treatment include both benign and malignant skull-base and central nervous system pathologies. Studies have demonstrated that PT shows promising results in minimizing neurocognitive decline and reducing second malignancies with low rates of central nervous system necrosis. Future directions and advances in biologic optimization may provide additional benefits beyond the physical properties of particle dosimetry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam L Holtzman
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida College of Medicine, 2015 North Jefferson Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206, USA.
| | - Roi Dagan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida College of Medicine, 2015 North Jefferson Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206, USA
| | - William M Mendenhall
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida College of Medicine, 2015 North Jefferson Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206, USA
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Saraf A, Pike LRG, Franck KH, Horick NK, Yeap BY, Fullerton BC, Wang IS, Abazeed ME, McKenna MJ, Mehan WA, Plotkin SR, Loeffler JS, Shih HA. Fractionated Proton Radiation Therapy and Hearing Preservation for Vestibular Schwannoma: Preliminary Analysis of a Prospective Phase 2 Clinical Trial. Neurosurgery 2022; 90:506-514. [PMID: 35229827 PMCID: PMC9514734 DOI: 10.1227/neu.0000000000001869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Local management for vestibular schwannoma (VS) is associated with excellent local control with focus on preserving long-term serviceable hearing. Fractionated proton radiation therapy (FPRT) may be associated with greater hearing preservation because of unique dosimetric properties of proton radiotherapy. OBJECTIVE To investigate hearing preservation rates of FPRT in adults with VS and secondarily assess local control and treatment-related toxicity. METHODS A prospective, single-arm, phase 2 clinical trial was conducted of patients with VS from 2010 to 2019. All patients had serviceable hearing at baseline and received FPRT to a total dose of 50.4 to 54 Gy relative biological effectiveness (RBE) over 28 to 30 fractions. Serviceable hearing preservation was defined as a Gardner-Robertson score of 1 to 2, measured by a pure tone average (PTA) of ≤50 dB and a word recognition score (WRS) of ≥50%. RESULTS Twenty patients had a median follow-up of 4.0 years (range 1.0-5.0 years). Local control at 4 years was 100%. Serviceable hearing preservation at 1 year was 53% (95% CI 29%-76%), and primary end point was not yet reached. Median PTA and median WRS both worsened 1 year after FPRT (P < .0001). WRS plateaued after 6 months, whereas PTA continued to worsen up to 1 year after FPRT. Median cochlea D90 was lower in patients with serviceable hearing at 1 year (40.6 Gy [RBE] vs 46.9 Gy [RBE]), trending toward Wilcoxon rank-sum test statistical significance (P = .0863). Treatment was well-tolerated, with one grade 1 cranial nerve V dysfunction and no grade 2+ cranial nerve dysfunction. CONCLUSION FPRT for VS did not meet the goal of serviceable hearing preservation. Higher cochlea doses trended to worsening hearing preservation, suggesting that dose to cochlea correlates with hearing preservation independent of treatment modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anurag Saraf
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
- Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Luke R. G. Pike
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
- Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA;
| | - Kevin H. Franck
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Nora K. Horick
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Beow Y. Yeap
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Barbara C. Fullerton
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Irene S. Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Mohamed E. Abazeed
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA;
| | - Michael J. McKenna
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - William A. Mehan
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Scott R. Plotkin
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jay S. Loeffler
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Helen A. Shih
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
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Eichkorn T, Regnery S, Held T, Kronsteiner D, Hörner-Rieber J, El Shafie RA, Herfarth K, Debus J, König L. Effectiveness and Toxicity of Fractionated Proton Beam Radiotherapy for Cranial Nerve Schwannoma Unsuitable for Stereotactic Radiosurgery. Front Oncol 2021; 11:772831. [PMID: 34869012 PMCID: PMC8635775 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.772831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose In this benign tumor entity, preservation of cranial nerve function is of special importance. Due to its advantageous physical properties, proton beam radiotherapy (PRT) is a promising approach that spares healthy tissue. Could PRT go along with satisfactory preservation rates for cranial nerve function without compromising tumor control in patients with cranial nerve schwannoma unsuitable for stereotactic radiosurgery? Methods We analyzed 45 patients with cranial nerve schwannomas who underwent PRT between 2012 and 2020 at our institution. Response assessment was performed by MRI according to RECIST 1.1, and toxicity was graded following CTCAE 5.0. Results The most common schwannoma origin was the vestibulocochlear nerve with 82.2%, followed by the trigeminal nerve with 8.9% and the glossopharyngeal nerve as well as the vagal nerve, both with each 4.4%. At radiotherapy start, 58% of cranial nerve schwannomas were progressive and 95.6% were symptomatic. Patients were treated with a median total dose of 54 Gy RBE in 1.8 Gy RBE per fraction. MRI during the median follow-up period of 42 months (IQR 26–61) revealed stable disease in 93.3% of the patients and partial regression in 6.7%. There was no case of progressive disease. New or worsening cranial nerve dysfunction was found in 20.0% of all patients, but always graded as CTCAE °I-II. In seven cases (16%), radiation-induced contrast enhancements (RICE) were detected after a median time of 14 months (range 2–26 months). RICE were asymptomatic (71%) or transient symptomatic (CTCAE °II; 29%). No CTCAE °III/IV toxicities were observed. Lesions regressed during the follow-up period in three of the seven cases, and no lesion progressed during the follow-up period. Conclusion These data demonstrate excellent effectiveness with 100% local control in a median follow-up period of 3.6 years with a promising cranial nerve functional protection rate of 80%. RICE occurred in 16% of the patients after PRT and were not or only mildly symptomatic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Eichkorn
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,National Center for Radiation Oncology (NCRO), Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Regnery
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,National Center for Radiation Oncology (NCRO), Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Held
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,National Center for Radiation Oncology (NCRO), Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dorothea Kronsteiner
- Institute of Medical Biometry and Informatics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Juliane Hörner-Rieber
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,National Center for Radiation Oncology (NCRO), Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rami A El Shafie
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,National Center for Radiation Oncology (NCRO), Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Klaus Herfarth
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,National Center for Radiation Oncology (NCRO), Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Debus
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,National Center for Radiation Oncology (NCRO), Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO), Heidelberg, Germany.,Clinical Cooperation Unit Radiation Oncology (E050), German Cancer Research Center (dkfz), Heidelberg, Germany.,National Center for Tumor diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.,Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK), Partner Site Heidelberg, German Cancer Research Center (dkfz), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Laila König
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,National Center for Radiation Oncology (NCRO), Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO), Heidelberg, Germany
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